


Call Diem

by ZodiacBiologist



Series: Campus Diem [8]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - College/University, David & Gwen Adopt Max (Camp Camp), David Acting as Max's Parental Figure | Dadvid (Camp Camp), F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23647522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZodiacBiologist/pseuds/ZodiacBiologist
Summary: Now that he's in college and busy exploring the world, Max doesn't call home too much anymore. However, there are definitely a few things he still needs to call David and Gwen for. Whatever the reason, they're usually happy to hear from him...usually.
Relationships: David/Gwen (Camp Camp)
Series: Campus Diem [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/823053
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	Call Diem

College was, by far, the most interesting of times in Max's life. There were new opportunities for him to experience adult life for the first time; These experiences began taking up enough of his time that calls home became something he seldom did without being prompted.

While his phone never left his hand these days, he never found himself clicking on his parents' contacts. That didn't matter, however, as his parents always found him. 

"Hello?" Max didn't bother to check his caller ID, instead choosing to watch his cup of ramen turn slowly in the microwave. It had been a long day already and he would be damned if he was going to shovel down his noodles the moment the timer went off. 

"Hey, buddy! Just checking in...how was class?" David's overly cheery voice was like sandpaper to Max's ears, but he knew better than to cop an attitude; Attitude would mean a phone call from Gwen later on.

"Uh...fine, I guess. Only had one today." Max replied, hoping to sound at least somewhat happy to hear from his dad. 

"Oh, yeah? Did you have fun?" David's voice had lost some of it's interest by then, falling into his usual questions just to keep Max on the line for an extra minute.

"Sure. A two hour lecture on theories about the Bible is definitely my definition of fun." The ding of the microwave could be heard in the background, though David never heard the door open. 

He had hoped Max would have chosen the trail mix he had packed instead of that over processed, unhealthy ramen Gwen had sent him to school with, but that was a hope that would never be realized.

At least there were other ways to be healthy on campus.

"Why don't you go meet up with some of your friends and take a walk or something?" 

"Nah...I'm just gonna take a fucking nap." Max huffed, finally opening the microwave to retrieve his lunch. Food and a nap probably would be better for his mood, anyway.

"Alright then, Max. Have a good nap." David replied, his voice softer now, almost soothing. That nap was seeming like a better idea the longer the conversation went. 

"Alright, dad...Talk to ya later…" Max added, his earlier irritation from lecture was almost completely forgotten.

"I look forward to it."  
_________________________________

"Hey, mom..." Max started slowly, hoping whatever lecture he was no doubt going to get would be quick, so he could get to the real matter at hand.

Today just wasn't going to be his day...

"Don't you 'hey, mom' me, mister. You're gone a whole week and can't even shoot your poor mother a text message?" Gwen scolded, though her voice was not at it's full lecture volume, indicating she was at work...fuck...

"Jeez, lady, chill the fuck out." Max shot defensively, moving the phone away from his ear with an eye roll.

"I will NOT chill the fuck out! A simple, 'hey, I'm still alive and haven't run out of clean clothes', would have been nice!" With Gwen's voice raising in tone ever so slightly, Max knew what had to be done. 

"Screw it. I'm calling dad…"  
_________________________________

"Dad?"

"Yes, Max?" 

"Can I get salmonella from a frozen hot pocket?"  
_________________________________

"Hello?" Gwen answered her phone cautiously; a 7PM phone call from her son wasn't usually a good thing.

"Hey, mama; I got a question."

Uh oh...

"Shoot." Gwen replied, finding herself getting up to nervously pace the kitchen. What could that boy possibly need at this hour that he couldn't Google?

"Is there such a thing as too much laundry detergent?" There was a slight hint of panic to Max's voice. 

"Yes. There definitely is. Why?" Gwen sat herself back down on the couch, relieved until-

"...Ah, fuck."

"So help me, if we get billed for this-" Gwen rubbed the bridge of her nose, willing away any images in her head of a washing machine overflowing with bubbles. The response from Max didn't make her feel any better.

"It's fine! I'll fix it!"  
_________________________________

"Hey, dad? Can I borrow $200?"

Normally, David would have been over the moon to hear Max's voice, but that greeting definitely caught him off guard. Over the years, David had slowly learned not to blindly trust anyone, not even his own family, so logically, he had to ask questions. 

"Sure...what do you need it for?" He asked quizzically; Max was almost certain he had raised an eyebrow on the other end.

"Textbooks…" The boy replied slowly, as if he was confused by his own response. David may be easily misled, but even he knew that was a lie. 

"Now the truth?" He dropped his cheery tone for an almost irritated one now. The next response just furthered it. 

"I, uh...I used up my meal plan…" Max replied more confidently this time. He knew his reasons, even if he got scolded for them.

"You what? Max, you've been away for a month!" David did, in fact, scold, his deep disappointment reaching all the way through the phone.

"Look...I, uh…" Max began, though he trailed off. 

"Go on…" David sounded impatient now; He was hoping Max was envisioning him with crossed arms. However, Max's next statement caught him off guard, yet again. 

"Nurf doesn't have a meal plan...I've been letting him get some stuff…" David knew that voice; The 'Max did a good deed and now you have something to take to the grave" voice that was only used in specific circumstances that rarely happened. 

"Max...Is $200 going to be enough?" David finally replied, deciding to sort through his emotions later. 

"I'll make it enough...don't tell mom?"

"Definitely not gonna tell mom...without crying first." 

After his crying, David made sure Max got his $200 and that he and the other Campbell Campers enrolled in college got care packages. He would be damned if any of his campers went without anything.   
_________________________________

"What-Oh! Dad!” Max would’ve been lying if he said he wasn’t damn near shitting himself when he saw David’s photo pop up on his phone. Wracking his brain of the night’s activities, Max couldn’t remember if anyone had done anything to blow their cover.

“Hey, buddy. How’s your weekend been?” David sounded genuinely curious. Max took a breath,

“It’s been pretty fucking boring. Yours?”

“Oh, good, good. I was just scrolling through my texts, actually. Hope drunk jenga was fun.” David’s voice hadn’t changed, making Max’s blood run cold. Pulling his ear away from the receiver, Max’s hands shook as he opened the text thread between him and his father.

Thirty-three text messages...thirty-three drunk text messages...

“Fuck…”

“Yeah. Your pictures were real funny, too. I liked the one of Pikeman on the pooltable.”

“Shit…”

“Oh, and one more thing; your mother and I are coming home early. Get the house cleaned by the time we get back and no one has to know. See you around 5, I love you and miss you, bye!” And with that, the line went dead.  
_________________________________

Pressing David's contact, Max waited patiently for him to answer...then one ring turned to two...then three...then-, "Damn it dad, pick up…" Max mumbled.

"Max? Everything okay, buddy?" David's voice lacked all of its usual excitement, not that he wasn't happy to hear from his son, he was just extremely confused. Max rarely called and definitely never at 7am now.

"Uh, listen. Do you still have all the Camp Campbell parents saved in your phone?"

"Uh, no, but I do still have everyone's old files. Why?"

"David? Who is that? Don't they know it's 7am?" Max could hear Gwen groan. Judging by the squeaking of springs he heard after, he either interrupted something or he had just woke his parents. He really hoped her just woke them.

"Your son. Here, talk to him." David's tone had got serious. With a few more squeaky springs and some shuffling, Gwen spoke up.

"Max? Is everything okay?"

"Uh...kinda. We sorta need to taken Harrison to the hospital-"

"Oh God, not another one!" Max could hear David in the background, followed by the frantic shuffling of paperwork.

"So help me God, Child, if another one of you-" Gwen started, before cutting herself off, "You're not trying to hide this from us?"

"No, Mom! Jesus. I think Harrison might actually be really sick right now and were wasting time yelling at-"

Cutting each off ran in the family it seemed as David grabbed the phone back from Gwen.

"Which hospital are you going to? The one by the campus?"

"Yes." Max groaned.

"Alright, just worry about that. I'll give Harrison's parents a call. Your mother and I will head out that way, too."

"Thanks, uh...I'll let you know if anything-"

Again with the cutting off,

"Hey, Max, you might wanna get in here!" Preston called from the other room.

"Call you back, love you!" Max finished, before ending the call.  
_________________________________

No one likes getting woken up by the phone ringing; Especially Gwen. She didn't even try to ignore it; She wanted whoever was calling to KNOW she was pissed, even if that someone was her own son. 

"Jesus fuck, Max, it's 3am…" Gwen wasted no time whisper/screaming into the phone. There was really no point, though, as her ringtone had already woken up David. 

"I-I know...l-listen, Mom...um…" The voice on the other end was almost too small for her to believe Max had actually called her. For a moment, Gwen almost assumed he had just bum dialed her in his sleep.

"Is something wrong?" She finally asked, her frustration immediately getting swallowed up by her guilt. Max needed her and her first instinct was to yell? Shit, she felt like an asshole...

"N-no...uh...just...couldn't sleep…" Even when small, Gwen could still recognize the trace amounts of fear that lined the boy's voice. 

"Bad dream?" She tried to rule that out first, though the odds of him actually telling her what was wrong was extremely unlikely.

"I love you, mom…" He replied instead, though, Gwen knew better. He just wanted to keep her on the phone...

"Love you, too, twerp…" She replied. If she had to guess, it probably wasn't a nightmare that kept the boy up, rather, it was his need for reassurance. He would never talk about that either, but David and Gwen knew better at this point. Max still struggled with doubting where he stood in everyone's lives and if telling him she loved him was enough to get him to bed, Gwen would do it. 

And David, too, of course.

"I love you, too, Max." David chimed in, his cheerful voice was merely fatigue in disguise, a crash soon to overtake him. 

"Shit, dad is still awake!?" Max replied, probably less startled than he sounded. He should have known better at this point. 

"Wide awake and ready for a sing along!" Max could here David pluck a few strings, indicating he had already grabbed his guitar at some point. 

"Christ, no!" Gwen groaned, putting the phone on speaker and setting it on her night stand. If Max had to guess, she was probably getting herself comfortable...he should probably do the same. 

With the blankets pulled up under his chin and the phone resting beside his head, Msx waited patiently until the slow pluck of guitar strings sent him to sleep. 

Sometimes, calls to home weren't so bad...

**Author's Note:**

> College was a very weird time and I definitely found myself, as well as some friends, making every one of these phone calls.
> 
> Also, two of these phone calls come from Care Diem and Car Diem. Since they were apart of this AU anyhow, I figured it was fitting to put them in here, as well.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.


End file.
